[FANTASY FOLKSTEP] Portland pianist and composer Ben Darwish has spent the last seven years blazing trails. Between his work with jazz trios, funk bands and his current genre-bending group, Morning Ritual, you never know what Darwish is going to do next. Morning Ritual’s combination of folk, jazz, dubstep and R&B never feels schizophrenic or aimless, despite its variety. Its upcoming release, The Clear Blue Pearl, is a fantastical concept record about a couple from a drought-ravaged land looking for a mystical pearl which is thought to be able to save and sustain them. Portland’s Shook Twins provides solemn, siren-like vocals and helps to make it a beautiful—if at times bittersweet—journey.